


distance

by multifandomwh0re



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Post-How to Train Your Dragon 2, Relationship Problems, fluff if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:40:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29016768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/multifandomwh0re/pseuds/multifandomwh0re
Summary: The stress of being chief rains down on Hiccup and Astrid’s relationship.
Relationships: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson
Comments: 1
Kudos: 26





	distance

Astrid sat on the grass in front of the Great Hall, reading one of her many books whilst leaning against Stormfly, the cool breeze running through her golden hair. She heard the familiar screech of Toothless, and she looked up at the sky and saw Hiccup, looking as tired as ever.

It would be an understatement to say that they had been distanced from each other. It had only been a few weeks after the sudden death of their chief, and only a few weeks since Hiccup took on the responsibilities of his late father. Their relationship was hanging by a loose thread, as neither of them hadn’t had an actual conversation with each other in weeks. Hiccup had been far too busy with his chiefing duties, and Astrid felt as though she was just a distraction to him.

She hadn’t had a proper meal, or a proper good night's sleep in the past week. She had been scurrying around the village nonstop and constantly worrying about her boyfriend. After the separation between them, she hadn’t felt the need to eat.

The young woman watched carefully as her boyfriend dismounted from his dragon, muttering to himself quietly. He pulled out a small map from the saddle bag, and headed up the stairs to the Great Hall. Astrid moved her eyes from Hiccup down to her book, curling her legs up tighter as she scratched Stormfly on her side, the dragon cooing in contempt.

She heard Hiccup walk up the stone stairs, his prosthetic clicking with every step he took. She wanted to run into his arms and hold and kiss him, but she stayed in her position, not even daring to look up at him. She saw him look at her direction from the corner of her eye, and it took everything in her to not peer up at him. Astrid flipped a page, and she heard him clear his voice.

“Hey,” She bit her lip and looked up at Hiccup, and she took the chance to take in all the features on his face. His hair was messier than usual, and dark circles appeared under his eyes. It looked like he hadn’t slept in days. “uhm, can you bring Snot and Eret here? There’s something important I need to talk about.” She felt bile rise in her throat. This was the first interaction they’ve had in well over a week and a half, and all he wanted was to get their friends. “I found a new island, and I wanted to see if we could find any resources.”

 _Why can’t you do it?_ she irritatedly thought. Swallowing the lump in her throat, the young woman nodded. “Yeah, I can do that. I’ll-“

“Thanks.” A sharp reply came, and he soon disappeared into the Great Hall. Astrid sat there, her blue eyes threatening to fill with tears. She shook her head and closed the book, not caring to bookmark her page. She stood up and looked at the doors of the Great Hall, and let out a shaky breath. A stray tear made its way down her pale cheek, and she quickly wiped it away, angry at herself for being so vulnerable.

Hiccup and Astrid’s relationship had been strong and healthy before all the events with Drago, they were at their peak. They were together everyday, whether it was in the Great Hall, in the forge, at the cove, or even in the living room of Hiccup’s house. Now, they were barely in each other’s presence. The most they had spoken to each other was when Hiccup asked her to bring a set of books to a council meeting, and of course she obliged.

The secret hand holding and kissing ceased, they hardly spoke to each other, the bickering about different fighting techniques and dragon species had completely stopped, and Astrid felt as though they had broken up. She didn’t even know if he still loved her, and deep down that hurt. Burying her thoughts, Astrid walked down the small hill to both Snotlout and Eret’s houses, urging them to follow her into the Great Hall.

“So what does Hiccup want from us? No-no, more importantly… you and Hiccup are back together?” Snotlout stammered, looking at the blonde haired woman. She rolled her eyes and glanced at him.

“First of all, he wants us to explore an island for resources. And second, Hiccup and I didn’t break up,” she said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

“Really? I swear I haven’t seen you two close together ever since the dragon stampede… wasn’t that like three weeks ago?” Snotlout continued on, which made Eret roll his eyes.

“How about you mind your own business for once and stop prying into my relationship with my boyfriend?!” Astrid snapped at him, angrily throwing the doors of the hall open. “Gods, you’re so nosey.” she muttered loud enough for Snotlout to hear.

“What’s all this, Chief?” Eret asked, walking up to the table where Hiccup was seated, his nose in a book. He peered up and looked down at the map on the table, pointing to a small island north of Berk.

“This island, or so what I’ve read, has resources that Berk could use y’know, with half the village covered in ice.” He grimaced. And to think, it was only a few weeks ago. He cleared his throat and looked up at the three adults.

“What kind of resources?” Astrid inquired as she picked up a book, flipping through the pages.

“Oak and wood for repairments. Half of the village’s home’s have either a small hole in the roof or no roof at all. And there’s a cold front coming in soon, and I will not have my people freeze to death.” Hiccup said, glancing at her. “I think we should explore it, and if there’s nothing there, then I’ll do more searching.”

“Sure, why not? It beats melting the ice on the grounds.” Snotlout said, crossing his arms.

“Where do you want to meet?” Eret asked.

“Training arena, I’m right behind you guys. I have to swing by my house to drop these off.” he said as he folded up his map. Eret and Snotlout nodded their heads and headed out of the hall. Astrid hesitantly stood there, contemplating for a moment. As Hiccup’s General, it was her duty and job to help him when he needed it, and she did. Over the past few weeks, she had ordered villagers to help others with housing and food, just until houses could get repaired. She and Fishlegs had gone to neighboring tribes, bringing back more food and supplies for the struggling villagers, but of course Hiccup had paid her no heed.

 _You’ve done your part as General,_ she scolded herself lightly. She stepped forward and walked out of the Great Hall, whistling for Stormfly. The Deadly Nadder approached her rider, nudging her gently. “I’m okay, girl, I promise.” Astrid whispered, hugging her dragon’s horn, softly caressing her rough skin. The blonde led her dragon to the arena, where Snotlout and Eret were waiting.

Astrid grabbed a few items out of the many supply cabinets, pushing it into her saddle bag. She felt Snotlout’s eyes on her, and she tried her best to not make eye contact with him. Grasping her saddle, she hauled herself up and made herself comfortable. It was a moment later when Hiccup appeared on Toothless, a map ready in hand.

“So how far away is this island?” Snotlout asked once they were in the air, leaning back in his saddle.

“It shouldn’t be more than half an hour.” Hiccup said, glancing between Snotlout and Eret. He saw Astrid in the corner of his eye, and his expression softened. He took in her face for a moment, noticing the dark circles on her pale skin and how her shirt seemed a bit too loose.

He knew that he had been pushing her away, and deep down he hated himself for it. Astrid was his rock that kept him grounded, and he had pushed her away. It had been well over three weeks since he had a full conversation with her, and it was nobody’s fault but his own.

Astrid caught his stare, and turned her head to look at him, her blue eyes softening up. He gave her a small smile, and she returned it, quickly looking forward again. Hiccup sighed heavily and looked down at his saddle, lightly patting Toothless’ neck.

It didn’t take long for the four young adults to get to the island, which didn’t have that much to offer. A small trade market on the east shore, several Terrible Terrors scattered all about the island. It was mostly a forested island, with towering pine trees and grassy grounds.

“Erm Chief? I think you failed to tell us what we’re looking for here.” Eret said as he dismounted Skullcrusher, looking around the forest, noticing the towering trees.

“Yeah, Hiccup… what are we even looking for? There’s nothing on this Thor for shaken island!” Snotlout cried dramatically, his voice echoing throughout the forest that they were currently searching. Hiccup, of course, had led the group to an isolated island a few miles north of Berk that had nothing but a few dragon species and forestry terrains.

“One of my maps indicated that there’s Changewings on the island, which means acide for dragon proof chains. One that’ll be helpful if we’re ever stuck or something,” Hiccup said, waving his hand as he spoke.

“Changewing acid for dragon chains? That’s kinda genius.” Snotlout finished, earning a cheeky smile from Hiccup. Astrid sighed to herself and looked around at the forest, an unsettling feeling consuming her stomach. The young woman turned around, looking through the trees and bushes.

“Astrid? You okay?” Eret asked her quietly, noticing her tense posture.

“Something doesn’t feel right,” she said as she kept on looking around. “Stormfly and I are gonna fly through the island again. I have an inklinking feeling about all of this.” she said as she placed her axe on her back.

“I think that’s a good idea,” Hiccup said, not looking back. Astrid rolled her eyes annoyedly and grasped her saddle. She mounted the blue dragon, and took to the skies, not daring to look back. She felt her eyes sting with tears, and she didn’t know she had been crying until she felt the wind lash against her tear stained cheeks.

Astrid bunched her fists together and sucked in a breath, wiping her eyes. She blinked rapidly and looked ahead, seeing nothing out of the obvious. She circled the islands a few times, seeing a small nest of Changewing eggs underneath a shady tree. Ignoring the feeling in her stomach, she guided Stormfly back to her group of friends, unaware of the dragon that was stealthily sneaking up on her.

The young woman began to fly down to where her friends were, but was abruptly stopped when a Changewing flew in front of her, roaring and hissing at her and Stormfly. The blue Deadly Nadder squawked anxiously and backed up slightly, frantically flapping her wings. “Stormfly!” Astrid yelled as she clung to her saddle tightly, fearing she would lose her grip.

“Astrid!” She heard several voices call out to her, but she ignored it. “Astrid, no!”

“Storm-“ Astrid was abruptly cut off as Stormfly was chased by the wild dragon. “Stormfly!” The young woman cried out as she huddled forth, holding onto her saddle tightly. The Deadly Nadder squawked in fear as she spun around, dodging the acid that squirted out of the Changewing’s mouth. “Slow down…!” Stormfly flew high up into the clouds as Hiccup watched in horror from the ground as he dug his hands into his hair, anxiously gripping his auburn locks. Weeks of not talking to his girlfriend had come back to bite him in the ass.

The Changewing followed Stormfly into the sky, roaring angrily and spitting another blotch of acid at both dragon and rider, missing them by an inch. The wild dragon hissed and flew up higher, smacking Astrid in the back with its hard tail. The young woman grunted loudly as she thrusted forward harshly, her face pressing into the Deadly Nadder’s neck.

“Astrid!” She heard Hiccup call her, and she turned around to look down at him, but was met with another slap of a tail against her chest. Her grip loosened on the and, and she felt herself begin to slip. Hands reaching frantically, she managed to grasp the foot loops of the saddle. A sharp turn from Stormfly made her frantic, and she lost her grip on her saddle, and she fell down to the earth below.

“Astrid!”

The young woman screamed fearfully, wind rushing in her ears. She didn’t have time to process what happened, as she fell into a tree, branches and leaves smacking every inch of her body as she continued to descend down. She brought her arms to protect her head as branch after branch smacked her petite body. She cried and grunted as pain encompassed her, and she started to feel cuts engrave into her pale complexion.

Falling through a towering pine tree just wasn’t enough, but the harsh and painful feeling of landing on her back did the job for her. Her head pounded as she shakily brought a hand to her head, feeling a warm, sticky liquid. There was a loud ringing in her ears as she let out pained whimpers, and in the distance she could hear her name frantically being called. Disorientation began to settle in, and she soon felt her eyelids getting heavier and heavier. It wasn’t until strong, familiar arms wrapped themselves around her aching waist that she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

  
“Astrid, can you open your eyes for me?” One of the healers stood over the groaning woman, gently wrapping her arm in a sling. Astrid groaned softly and slowly blinked her eyes open, seeing Hiccup by her side. “There we are, welcome back to the present. How are you feeling, my dear?”

“Pain.” Astrid breathed out as the healer wrapped a bandage around her arm, settling her limb back into the sling.

“Is she gonna be okay?” Hiccup asked, placing a hand on his girlfriend’s arm, gently caressing her wrist.

“She’ll be a little sore and achy, but otherwise okay. She’s got a few bruised ribs and a sprained wrist, both should heal up in a few weeks.” the healer said, rubbing smothering ointment on the many cuts that covered her arms. “I’m advising you to not do any heavy work in the next week, just until your ribs feel better.” Astrid closed her eyes and leaned her head back, breathing deeply.

“Hey,” Hiccup leaned down, looking his girlfriend in the eyes. “I have to clear some ice out with the twins and Fishlegs in a few minutes.” Astrid nodded. “I know I’m the last person you want to talk to right now, and you have every right to be. Just please,” he grasped her hand, “meet me on the cliffside by the docks.” His green eyes pleaded, and Astrid nodded.

“Okay.” she said, and Hiccup leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. His lips lingered there for a moment before breaking away. Hiccup smiled at her and scurried out of the healer’s hut, shouting orders as he did so.

“I’m gonna sedate you, just so you can get some proper rest.” Astrid nodded as she drank out of the mug that was handed to her, squeezing her eyes shut. She soon felt herself start to get drowsy, and her eyes closed as she fell into a peaceful slumber.

When she was woken up, it had only felt like she was asleep for a matter of seconds, when in reality, it had been three hours. Astrid drowsily blinked her eyes open, and she brought her hand to her face, gently wiping her face.

“Here, hon.” the healer murmured as she helped Astrid into a sitting position. “Drinking some herbal tea should get rid of your headache.” The older woman handed Astrid a few tea bags with instructions. “And you are all set my dear. Please come to me if you have any problems or issues.” Astrid carefully moved her legs over the side of the bed, taking a deep breath.

“Thank you.” she said quietly, slowly making her way out of the hut. Astrid saw the sun began to set, and she thought about what Hiccup had told her earlier. Sighing deeply, she made her way up to the small cliffside, Stormfly at her side.

Astrid grabbed a blanket from her saddle bag and carefully sat on the ground, wrapping the fabric around her with her good arm. The Deadly Nadder nestled onto the ground, and Astrid leaned against her, taking her hair out of its braid, running her slim fingers through her blonde locks. She felt a few leaves and branches in her hair, and she quickly took them out, throwing them on the ground nearby.

“Come on, bud.” She heard the familiar, nasally voice of her boyfriend, and she subconsciously wrapped her good arm around her stomach, lightly wincing. “Hey.” Astrid looked up, watching as Hiccup carefully made his way up to her. “Can I sit?”

Astrid nodded as Hiccup sat down across from her, looking at her. “Are you okay?” she asked quietly, wrapping the blanket tighter around herself.

“Yeah, I’m good.” Hiccup said, looking down at his lap. Astrid looked ahead at the setting sun, the evening breeze rushing through her golden hair. Hiccup glanced up, looking at her arm that laid in the sling. “A-Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’ve had worse injuries.” she said, bringing her knees to her chest. They sat in collective silence for moments on end, until Hiccup spoke up.

“I’m so sorry, Astrid.” Hiccup whispered as he scooted closer to her, taking her uninjured hand in his own. “There’s no excuse for the distance that’s between us. I just… I just thought I needed time to myself, ever since Dad died and Mom’s been home. Repairing the village, making sure there’s enough room in the Great Hall, making sure every child has something warm to wear… it’s overwhelming and I can’t do it all by myself!” Tears sprung into his eyes as his voice wavered, the sudden feeling of overwhelment washed over him.

“You don’t have to do it by yourself, Hiccup. That’s why I’m here,” Astrid said gently, squeezing his hand. “I’m here to help you with whatever you need help with, whether it’s big or small. But I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.” She pulled her hand out of his grasp and gently placed it on his pale cheek, caressing his cheek with her thumb. “I’m here for you in every way I can be, Hiccup, but I need you to let me back in.”

Astrid couldn’t be mad at him. Yeah, he had completely avoided her, she had avoided him too. He had just lost his father, and was suddenly forced to take care of an entire village that had been attacked. Life wasn’t going easy for him at the moment, and that was something that Astrid understood.

“I’m so sorry, milady.” He leaned into Astrid’s touch. “I need you with me… I can’t do this without you.” Astrid felt her eyes fill with tears as she absently nodded her head. “I love you.” A tear made its way down her cheek as she smiled, moving her hand from his cheek to his hair, running a hand through his auburn locks.

“I love you too.” Hiccup pulled her to him and wrapped both of his arms around her, mindful of her injured wrist. He furrowed his face into the crook of his neck as Astrid wrapped her arm around his shoulder, pressing kisses to his hair as she ran her hand up and down his back. Sobs began to spill out of his mouth as he clutched onto her tighter. Her own eyes began to fill with tears as she buried her face in his shoulder, small sobs erupting from her as well.

“I’m here.” They both whispered, clutching onto each other as tightly as they could, assuring that they would have each other, no matter what.


End file.
